How Does Huck Finn Mature

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Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a classic novel that grabbed worldwide attention. This novel is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age story in which Huck matures with new experiences. He is constantly dealing with dilemmas that contradictions during his adventures, which makes him grow up increasingly. He establishes independence and moral progress. Just like any growth of adolescence, Huck is influenced by outer and inner factors, such as Jim, society, and his sound heart. Jim, the runaway slave, plays a crucial role in Huck’s growth. Jim is neither a clever man nor an intelligent man, but he is sincere, honest, and trustworthy. Jim, with a pure heart, teaches Huck what a real friend means and what loyalty is. He is always willing to help others.…show more content…
Huck is not willing to risk his life to make sure Jim is safe. Huck and Jim slowly develop a connection that will lead Huck to choose to “go to hell” (twain 215) if necessary to help free Jim. Jim does not only appear as Huck’s friend, but also as a father figure. He takes care of Huck and “ was a mighty good nigger” (Twain 157) in Huck’s eyes. In chapter 20, while they were on watch, Jim stood the first half for Huck because Huck was tired. Jim is more concerned about Huck than Pap ever is. Jim is also a better father to his daughter than Pap was ever to Huck. Jim told Huck a touching story about his daughter Elizabeth about hitting her for not obeying him when she was ill. Jim has tremendous regret about that incident, which shows his care for his family. Huck does “believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks foes for their’n” (Twain 157). Huck’s attitude to families has changed from prevailing to respect. At first, Huck was surprised that…show more content…
He is morally influenced by society. Many different characters appear throughout the novel who are hypocritical, cruel, cowardly, greedy, and deceitful, which impacts Huck’s heart Huck is thrown into the real world that is very hypocritical hostile. He deals with the sense of moral confusion around him. The Sherburn’s murder of the drunk contributes to the sense of moral perplexity in the town. Sherburn attacks the cowardice and mob mentality of the average person. The duke and dauphin are malicious and cruel and portrays victims as unsympathetic. The scene of the Dauphin making hand gestures to the duke with feigning sign language when they arrive in Wilks’s hometown makes Huck “ashamed of the human race” (164) and he has “never seen anything so disgusting” (165). Huck is confused with the world with good people like Miss Watson and bad or evil people. The duke and the dauphin are clearly cruel but there are people like Aunt Sally, who appear to be good but is racist and wicked. From each adventure, Huck matures more. He has obtained a profound and bitter knowledge of human corruption. Huck’s pure eyes expose the dissipation of the society and profound and bitter knowledge of human corruption. He rejects the society full of evil where “human beings can be awful cruel to one another” (Twain 232). Huck learns how to survive in the moral confusion and cruel society. The people

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